474 
THE STRAND MAGAZINE. 
At this she fixed him with her red eyes. 
“ So you don’t like my neck, sonny ? Well, 
well, you sha’n’t have any neck at all. The 
head shall sit firmly between the high shoulders 
so that the big head can’t fall from the little 
body ! ” 
Don’t talk such nonsense to the child,” 
said Hanna, 41 but, if you really intend to buy 
anything, please make haste, for you are 
driving away all my other customers.” 
“ All right,” said the hag, “ I’ll take the 
basket of cabbages, then ; but I cannot carry 
the heavy basket. Won’t you let your son 
take it home for me ? I’ll rew r ard him well, 
I’ll reward him well.” 
Hanna at once consented, but Jacob 
reluctantly picked up the basket of cabbages 
and followed the dame. 
It was a long, long walk to the farthest and 
most deserted part of the town. There, in a 
mean, winding alley, the woman stopped 
before a ramshackle old dwelling, which they 
entered. But what was Jacob’s astonish- 
ment to find the inside a great contrast to 
the outside ; they were in a large hall, with 
walls and ceiling of marble, and furniture of 
ebony inlaid with gold and precious stones. 
The floor was of clear glass, and so slippery 
that the boy fell down two or three times 
before he got used to it. 
Meanwhile the old woman took a whistle 
from her pocket and blew a few' notes on it. 
Instantly a crowd of little guinea-pigs came 
tripping down the staircase, walking on their 
hind-legs, on which they wore shoes of walnut 
shells. They v r ere dressed just like men and 
women in the fashion of 
the day. They hurried 
up to their mistress, who 
waved her stick at them. 
“ Lazy servants ! lazy 
servants ! ” she shouted. 
44 Why don’t you bring 
me my slippers ? Must J 
wait here all day ? ” 
Away scampered the 
guinea-pigs, and at once 
returned with a pair of 
cocoa-nut shells, highly 
polished and lined with 
the finest leather. In these 
they encased the old 
woman’s feet. As soon 
as she had her slippers on 
all difficulty of movement 
ceased ; she threw ? away 
her staff and, taking Jacob 
by the hand, glided easily « 1NTO THE kitchen 
over the polished floor, white cooki 
through doorways, through numberless other 
splendid rooms with polished floors, until 
she came to the kitchen. She pushed Jacob 
into a sofa-corner and placed a table in front 
of him. 
<£ There ! ” she said. 44 Now you can rest 
a bit, for you will be tired after our long walk. 
To reward you for your trouble I’ll prepare 
you some nice soup, a soup you will remember 
as long as you live ! ” 
She blew her whistle, and into the kitchen 
glided a score or more of guinea-pigs with 
white cooking-aprons tied round their waists. 
These were the cooks of the establishment. 
Again she blew her whistle, and a squad of 
little squirrels came in arrayed in Turkish 
trousers and with green caps on their heads. 
These squirrels were the scullery-boys. 
The old woman soon had a saucepan 
simmering on the fire, from which delicious 
fragrance arose. Now the liquid bubbled 
up, and deftly the woman took it from the 
stove, poured the contents into a silver platter, 
and placed it before the hungry boy. 44 There, 
eat this,” she mumbled, 44 then you shall 
23 ? 
GUP ED A SCORE OK MOKE OF GUINEA-PIGS, WITH 
NG-APRONS TIED ROUND THEIR WAISTS." 
